Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Honouring those who stood up to the Nazis

Avram and Vera Schaufeld lay a wreath

By
New Worker correspondent

BARONESS
Julia Neuberger, the senior Rabbi of the West London Synagogue, last Sunday
called people to remember the Holocaust and all its victims by refusing to
allow any section of human society to be defined as “different”, or “other” –
the precursor to discrimination, prejudice and oppression that paved the way
for the Holocaust to happen.

She was speaking to the packed Amigo Hall,
part of the complex of buildings that is St George’s Roman Catholic Church in
Southwark, which is just across the road from the Imperial War Museum.

The
Amigo Hall this year played host to the first part of the annual Southwark and
Soviet War Memorial Trust Holocaust remembrance ceremony because the Imperial
War Museum is closed for renovations until July.

Julia Neuberger spoke of the heroism of the
Albanian Muslims during the Nazi occupation of the Balkans. They sheltered Jews
from the Nazis – at great risk to themselves – and saved hundreds of lives. But
today they are themselves, as Muslims, facing prejudice, scapegoating and
oppression.

She also spoke of the leader of the Orthodox
Church in Bulgaria who prevented a trainload Jews from that country being
transported to death camps by insisting on going with them and then threatening
to lie across the railway track to prevent the train moving. He won and the
Jews were returned to their homes.

And she mentioned other instances of people
standing up to the Nazis, including the people of Denmark.

Avram Schaufeld – a Holocaust survivor, told
of his experiences as a teenager, separated from his family, who were murdered,
in a labour camp that was one of the satellite camps of Auschwitz.

Avram
also spoke of the long death march as the Nazis forced prisoners to walk away
from the lines of advancing Russians and the many instances where his survival
was just a matter of incredible luck.

This
was followed by Avram and his wife Vera lighting the memorial candle.

Then the ceremony moved across the road to
Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Holocaust Memorial
Tree and at the Soviet War Memorial.

The Russian ambassador, HE Alexander
Yakovenko, gave a short speech and wreaths were laid by local dignitaries,
ambassadors from former Soviet states, and for the first time the ambassador
for Israel.

Members
of veterans organisations also laid wreaths as did members of political
organisations, including the New Communist Party.